This artwork was printed on Sunset Photo Metallic paper. The work was created as four panels that are face-mounted to Plexiglass®. The size of each panel is 78 x 48 inches and the overall size of the artwork is 78 x 192 inches.

Elements used in this image:

Line drawings from the biologist Ernst Haeckel's 19th century naturalist studies of Diatoms and other ocean organisms: the original drawings were transposed and re-colored by Hugh O'Donnell for this artwork. Diatoms are an especially good example of 'how a study of nature can create an innovative engineering utility.' The DNA of Diatoms has been used as an algorithm for constructing nano silica structures for filtering bacteria from water. They also fix 20% of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The original diatom drawings can be found in Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms of Nature), the book of lithographic and auto-type prints by Ernst Haeckel. Originally published in sets of ten between 1899 and 1904 and collectively in two volumes in 1904, it consists of 100 prints of various organisms, many of which were first described by Haeckel himself. Over the course of his career, over 1000 engravings were produced based on Haeckel's sketches and watercolors; many of the best of these were chosen for Kunstformen der Natur, translated from sketch to print by lithographer Adolf Giltsch it was influential in early 20th century art, architecture, and design, bridging the gap between science and art. In particular, many artists associated with Art Nouveau were influenced by Haeckel's images.

Natural Insight: About the Project

The digital artworks in this collection are inspired by the world of nature, and in particular the four seasons. They employ the use of Canon's photographic and printing technology together with the traditional tools of the fine art painter. Canon technology is helping us to see the micro and macro worlds previously unavailable to us. This has deepened our understanding of the holistic interdependent biosphere that we inhabit and its connection to the rest of the universe.

These conceptual artworks were created to provide an interrelationship of Hugh O'Donnell's traditional painting techniques, botanical imagery, and in particular plantings at the new Canon Americas headquarters, as well as imagery from the natural world, poetry, bio-mimicry, and scientific references. Canon optical innovations and Canon equipment, including the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera and various lenses, were used throughout.

The artworks have been developed to exploit the capacity of high definition digital optics. To this end, the materials and photographs used in the works were captured and composed to allow for large scale fine art mural printing in high definition on Canon printers. Photographic elements, with some exceptions, were shot by Hugh O'Donnell.